The new Access to Treatments working group will work to ensure that people with respiratory conditions can access the treatments they require to manage their conditions.

The Treatments working group has replaced the Medicines Optimisation working group, continuing to drive forward improvements in the use of medicines for patients with respiratory disease. You can read about the past achievements of the Medicines Optimisation working group in Our Five Year On Report.

This working group will look to influence policymakers to secure increased patient access to new treatments. By focusing on high-level policy goals, the Treatments working group will facilitate system changes effectively.

Going forward the priorities of the Treatments working group will be:

• Enhancing the overall approach to lung health treatments, focusing on a wide range of interventions.
• Enhancing accessibility to advanced lung health services in tertiary care settings. This working group will work to ensure that the NHS uses appropriate technology to enable access, such as virtual appointments.
• Lobbying to reduce short-acting beta-agonist (SABA) overuse through primary care and contribute to NICE/BTS/SIGN asthma guidelines.

Within the Treatments Working Group, three sub-groups address more specific barriers:

• Community Pharmacy – continuing our work on pharmacy access, diagnosis, and prescribing, highlighting the need for greater investment in this valuable part of the health service.
• Specialised Medicines – improving access to innovative medicines including biologics and antifibrotics.
• Vaccines – promoting vaccination for common respiratory conditions such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and flu, refining and streamlining the vaccination approvals process and championing preventative public health.

Within the Treatments working group, the Inhaler Recycling task and finish group develops strategies for sustainable inhaler recycling, reducing the carbon footprint of the NHS while ensuring patients have access to the right treatment for them.

The Treatments working group has a wide membership of patient representatives, professional bodies, patients, organisations, and industry partners. The group’s chairs can be found on our ‘About Us’ page.